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Ung from the hills of hardened clay, and like- 

 wife iffuing from the rocks at the fides of 

 the road. The argillaceous foil of this neigh- 

 bourhood is every where ftrongly impreg- 

 nated with bitumen, in which you will rea- 

 dily perceive the origin of the " boilings 

 or inflammable fpring." 



We were next conduded to fevcral 

 fpots, amidft the rough and wooded moun- 

 tains, where we faw the tar iffuing copioufly 

 into pits from the earthy and witneffed the 

 mode of colleding it. So plentiful is it 

 in this part of the country, that it may be 

 procured from any hole dug deep enough 

 to contain water ; for v/hen fmall openings 

 are made In the earth, and water has 

 flowed into them, the petroleum exuding from 

 around accumulates and floats in a thick coat 

 upon the furface. The mode of collefling 

 it is by laying the palm of the hand flat upoa 

 the water, and then fcraping off the tar, which 

 adheres to it, upon the edge of a bafon or a 

 I calabafh, repeating the dipping and fcraping 

 ! until the furface of the water is entirely 

 cleared of its bituminous coating. After a 



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